Could Living Organisms Be Hiding Inside Olympus Mons?

By Nancy Atkinson - February 17, 2009 04:57 PM UTC | Astrobiology

[/caption] From orbit, Olympus Mons dominates the landscape of the Tharsis region on Mars. At 24 kilometers (15 miles) high, and 550 kilometers (340 miles) in diameter, the huge volcano is over three times larger than Mount Everest. But Olympus Mons has a structure that is somewhat lopsided: it is elongated to the northwest, shortened to the southeast. A new study reveals that the 'lopsidedness' may mean warm magma and possibly water could be close enough to Olympus Mons' surface to support thermophilic (heat-loving) bacteria like those found near hydrothermal vents on Earth.

While no volcanic activity has ever been seen or detected in Olympus Mons by orbiting spacecraft, the surface of the northwestern scarp has been dated from 115 million years old down to a region that is only 2 million years old. This is very recent in geological terms, suggesting that the mountain may yet have some ongoing volcanic activity.

To try and understand why Olympus Mons in lopsided, researchers Patrick J. McGovern and Julia K. Morgan from the Lunar and Planetary Institute, Universities Space Research Association, constructed detailed computer simulations of the volcano. They found the only way it could have the shape it does is if, when it was actively erupting, lava piled on top of layers of weak, water-laden clay sediments.

These layers could be hiding a trapped reservoir of water, if indeed Mars was once warmer and wetter. Whether that reservoir could still be warm, and if it could possibly hold life life remains uncertain. As of now, no orbiting satellites have any instruments that can penetrate the surface to look for a heat source.

This research was published in February 2009 in the journal

Geology.

Source:

The Geological Society of America

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com